Skip to main content
TWI logo The Washington Institute for Near East Policy
logo
wordmark
Homepage

Main navigation

  • Analysis
  • Experts
  • About
  • Support
  • Maps & Multimedia
Trending:
  • Military & Security
  • Proliferation
  • Israel
  • Iran
  • Lebanon
  • Syria

Regions & Countries

  • Egypt
  • Gulf States
  • Iran
  • Iraq
  • Israel
  • Jordan
  • Lebanon
  • Middle East
  • North Africa
  • Palestinians
  • Syria
  • Turkey

Issues

  • Arab & Islamic Politics
  • Arab-Israeli Relations
  • Democracy & Reform
  • Energy & Economics
  • Great Power Competition
  • Gulf & Energy Policy
  • Military & Security
  • Peace Process
  • Proliferation
  • Terrorism
  • U.S. Policy
TWI English
TWI Arabic: اللغة العربية Fikra Forum

Breadcrumb

  • Policy Analysis

Military & Security

Policy Analysis on Military & Security

Filter by:

Brief Analysis
China’s Push for Satellite Cooperation in the Middle East
By investing in relationships with scientists in the region, Beijing is seeking to fortify its own BeiDou system and drive growth, offering potential lessons for Washington.
Oct 20, 2025
◆
  • Henry Tugendhat
Ships of the US Navy's Fifth Fleet on exercise in the Persian Gulf
Articles & Testimony
No Real Alternative: Why the Gulf Will Rely on the U.S.
Gulf leaders know that neither China, Russia, nor a “Mideast NATO” can replace the scale, capability, and strategic commitments that Washington brings, though they are still looking to recalibrate the partnership somewhat following Israel’s Qatar strike.
October 2025
◆
  • James Jeffrey
  • Elizabeth Dent
Protesters wave Palestinian flags in Gaza City - source: Reuters
Brief Analysis
The Ceasefire in Gaza: Views on Security, Palestinian Governance, and Regional Dynamics
A compilation of Washington Institute insights on the profoundly complex tasks ahead—from preventing a Hamas resurgence to promoting Palestinian political reform—and the states and mechanisms likely to carry them out.
Oct 14, 2025
◆
  • Neomi Neumann
  • Ghaith al-Omari
  • Ehud Yaari
  • Dana Stroul
  • Soner Cagaptay
  • James Jeffrey
A Palestinian man in Gaza releases pigeons
Articles & Testimony
How to End the War in Gaza for Good
The momentum created by phase one of the peace plan will eventually fade, so the Trump administration must work quickly with its partners to establish clarity on complex issues like disarming Hamas and securing Gaza, and on identifying the actors to implement them.
Oct 10, 2025
◆
  • Dennis Ross
Nuclear centrifuges in Iran
Brief Analysis
Four Keys for Iran Snapback Implementation
Inevitable attempts by Tehran to rebuild its nuclear and missile programs will require a U.S.-led campaign to track the regime’s proliferation activities and block transfers of related materials.
Oct 8, 2025
◆
  • Richard Nephew
Photo of a woman walking in front of a mural that shows missiles being launched from Iran.
Articles & Testimony
The Risk and Reward of Preventive Strikes Against Iran
Understanding the background of the twelve-day war and the considerations that shaped Iran’s past nuclear calculus can help illuminate the factors most likely to influence its future proliferation choices.
Sep 30, 2025
◆
  • Michael Eisenstadt
Israeli and US flags - source: Reuters
Brief Analysis
Assessing Israel-U.S. Alignment on the Gaza Framework
Prime Minister Netanyahu will likely accentuate the positive in his response to President Trump’s initiative to end the war, but key details—let alone Hamas’s response—could decide whether the plan ultimately succeeds or falls prey to another “yes but” cycle.
Sep 29, 2025
◆
  • David Makovsky
Articles & Testimony
Trump Holds the Levers to Move Gaza Toward Peace
The 21-point U.S. plan offers an alternative to Hamas governance, but the president will have to ensure an interim administration meets its disarmament commitments—and support Israeli responses if Hamas reemerges.
Sep 28, 2025
◆
  • Dennis Ross
A U.S. Army soldier on patrol in Iraq
Brief Analysis
After Operation Inherent Resolve: The Future of U.S.-Iraq Security Relations
Whether Washington opts for complete withdrawal, a smaller, Kurdistan-based presence, or a 180-degree shift to business and energy initiatives, it needs to be mindful of the risks and keep the focus on America’s paramount strategic interests.
Sep 24, 2025
◆
  • James Jeffrey
UN peacekeeping troops serving with the MINURSO mission in Western Sahara - source: United Nations
Brief Analysis
Time to Pull the Plug on MINURSO? Not Quite
Despite Morocco’s growing diplomatic momentum and recent U.S. cuts to the UN peacekeeping budget, prematurely ending the Western Sahara mission would be a mistake given the important practical role it plays in maintaining the de facto ceasefire.
Sep 24, 2025
◆
  • Souhire Medini
  • Sabina Henneberg
Saudi Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman and Pakistan Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif embrace each other on the day they sign a defence agreement, in Riyadh, Saudi Arabia, September 17, 2025 - source: Reuters
Brief Analysis
Will Saudi Arabia’s New Defense Agreement with Pakistan Have Proliferation Consequences?
The deal seems mostly symbolic given that Riyadh is a major trading partner with India—Pakistan’s main adversary—but the implications may nevertheless be significant for regional proliferation concerns, nuclear energy ambitions, and related U.S. diplomacy.
Sep 19, 2025
◆
  • Simon Henderson
Articles & Testimony
How Washington’s Drone Policy Is Catching Up to Reality
To balance competition and global responsibility, the Trump administration should combine its welcome reinterpretation of the MTCR with updated nonproliferation standards and robust safeguards.
Sep 16, 2025
◆
  • Elizabeth Dent
  • Grant Rumley
Brief Analysis
Toward a More Comprehensive (and Effective) U.S. Policy on Yemen
The Houthis pose even more of a risk to U.S. and Gulf interests than they did before the Gaza war, so Washington and its regional partners need to develop an approach that is more fit for purpose.
Sep 18, 2025
◆
  • April Longley Alley
Brief Analysis
After Snapback, Washington Needs to Prepare for Iranian Escalation in the Gulf
Given Tehran’s long record of using maritime provocations to counter increased international pressure, the United States and its partners must be ready to respond swiftly and forcefully against ship seizures, mine warfare, suicide drones, and more.
Sep 16, 2025
◆
  • Farzin Nadimi
Photo of smoke rising over Doha following an Israeli strike in September 2025.
Brief Analysis
Israel Strikes Qatar: Implications for Gaza Diplomacy, Gulf Relations, and U.S. Policy
A compilation of Washington Institute views on the fallout of the targeted strike on Hamas leaders in Doha, including what the United States and its partners can do to translate this latest Israeli military surprise into beneficial political achievements.
Sep 10, 2025
◆
  • Robert Satloff
  • Elizabeth Dent
  • Simon Henderson
  • David Makovsky
A Lebanese Armed Forces (LAF) soldier
Brief Analysis
Without a Hezbollah Disarmament Deadline, Lebanon Should Face Repercussions
The government and military’s decision to seize the group’s weapons is unprecedented and welcome—but it won’t mean anything without a clear and viable timeline for implementation, especially as political maneuvering for next year’s election begins.
Sep 8, 2025
◆
  • Hanin Ghaddar
Photo of a Houthi funeral in Yemen following an Israeli strike that killed multiple government officials.
Brief Analysis
Israel and the Houthis Are Entering a Dangerous Escalation Cycle
Despite their confident saber rattling, both sides face real constraints that could impede their operational goals, and their actions increase the risks to maritime security, energy exports, and broader regional stability.
Sep 5, 2025
◆
  • April Longley Alley
Brief Analysis
Iran’s Nuclear Reconstitution Options
Iran’s leaders have several paths to restoring or reconfiguring their nuclear program—some more realistic or risky than others—so Washington should focus on shaping which route they choose rather than discounting the possibility altogether.
Sep 4, 2025
◆
  • Richard Nephew
An IDF display of weapons seized from a Hezbollah cache in southern Lebanon - source: Reuters
Maps & Graphics
Articles & Testimony
Disarming Hezbollah: Much Talk, Little Action
President Aoun has promised Washington that he will begin confiscating Hezbollah’s weapons soon, but he is delivering a different message to the group and its political allies.
August 2025
◆
  • Ehud Yaari
LAF soldiers study a map - source: Lebanese Armed Forces
Brief Analysis
Lebanon’s Moment of Truth
The government’s unprecedented decision to disarm Hezbollah is brave, but as U.S. officials have repeatedly discovered, continual pressure will be needed to ensure that Lebanon and Israel actually implement their obligations under the new plan.
Aug 27, 2025
◆
  • David Schenker

Pagination

  • Current page 1
  • Page 2
  • Page 3
  • Page 4
  • Page 5
  • Page 6
  • Page 7
  • Page 8
  • Page 9
  • …
  • Last page Last »
  • Next page Next ›
Supported by the

Military and Security Studies Program

The Washington Institute's Military and Security Studies Program has established itself as an unrivaled source of reliable, incisive, and forward-looking analysis concerning several of the most critical national-security challenges facing the United States today: The U.S. military role in the Middle East, Iran's nuclear program and its proxy armies, the ongoing conflict is in Iraq, Lebanon, Syria, and Yemen, the regional proliferation of missiles and weapons of mass destruction, the security dimensions of the Arab-Israeli conflict, and many other security issues on the frontline of the U.S. policymaking agenda.

Sign Up for Email Updates from The Washington Institute

Never miss a breaking event on U.S. policy interests in the Middle East. Customize your subscription to our expert analysis, op-eds, live events, and special reports.

Sign up

Featured experts

Michael Eisenstadt
Michael Eisenstadt
Michael Eisenstadt is the Kahn Senior Fellow and director of The Washington Institute's Military and Security Studies Program.
Grant Rumley
Grant Rumley
Grant Rumley is the Meisel-Goldberger Senior Fellow and Director of the Diane and Guilford Glazer Foundation Program on Great Power Competition and the Middle East at the Washington Institute for Near East Policy.
Elizabeth Dent - source: The Washington Institute
Elizabeth Dent
Elizabeth Dent is the Nathan and Esther K. Wagner Senior Fellow at the Washington Institute for Near East Policy, where she focuses on U.S. foreign and defense policy toward the Gulf states, Iraq, and Syria.
Background image with TWI branding
logo
wordmark
Homepage

1111 19th Street NW - Suite 500
Washington D.C. 20036
Tel: 202-452-0650
Fax: 202-223-5364

Footer contact links

  • Contact
  • Press Room
  • Subscribe

The Washington Institute seeks to advance a balanced and realistic understanding of American interests in the Middle East and to promote the policies that secure them.

The Institute is a 501(c)3 organization; all donations are tax-deductible.

Footer quick links

  • About TWI
  • Support the Institute
  • Alumni

Social media

  • The Washington Institute on Facebook facebook
  • The Washington Institute on X x
  • The Washington Institute on YouTube youtube
  • The Washington Institute on LinkedIn linkedin

© 2025 All rights reserved.

Footer

  • Employment
  • Privacy Policy
  • Rights & Permissions